Fourteen years after Harry Bertoia's collection ofsteel mesh furniture made its debut, there came the Platner chair. Born of a generation embracing a more luxurious, sensual brand of modernism, the Platner chair gave new-school materials an old-school elegance.

I think the secret of their success, and their timelessness, lies in the contradiction inherent in their design; there's something strange and space agey about them, but also something incredibly luxurious. All those metal wires coming together to make a lovely curvilinear shape is both elegant and visually arresting. The Platner chair's ability to lighten up an ornate space, or fancy up a spare, modern one, make it welcome pretty much anywhere.